Button display rack



May 3, 1966 R. BERMAN 3,249,392

BUTTON DI SPLAY RACK Filed April 22, 1964 INVENTORA REUBEN BERMAN @Mw Uh-w A 7 TOR/V575'.

United' States Patent O 3,249,392 BUTTON DISPLAY RACK l Reuben Berman, New York, N.Y., assigner to Life Button Co., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 22, 1964, Ser. No, 361,681

4 Claims. (Cl. 312-118) The present invention relates to a portable button display device for point of sales merchandising in particular.

In the past, buttons have been sold at retail loosely, out of boxes from drawers or counters, on cards displayed in various ways, from drawers with displays .indicating the button merchandise content, or from large permanent displays carrying individual button cards from which a purchaser can select any number and purchase by nurnber either by memory or from a written slip at another counter.

Prior merchandising methods, especially for the small retailer, have been expensive, clumsy or'awkward to effectuate. An improved method of merchandising has included the use of display racks or frames with vertical slots adapted to accept button display cards. Such racks have permitted a large variety of displays and have been usable in conjunction with a merchandise drawer or the rack has been adapted to be hung at a `convenient location for selection from a merchandise drawer cabinet of subdivided parts keyed to display cards in the rack. An advantage of the former method had been also that cost was saved in not requiring the sold buttons to be mounted on cards. The buttons on the cards in the racks were not sold.

While the lformer method of merchandise and display improved the ease of merchandising, it was found that the constant changes in styles, demand and button inventories made the button cardson the racks quickly obsolescent and expensive to change.

According to the present invention a novel retail button display rack and point of sales apparatus which is adapted to quick and inexpensive inventory, and style change.

Although such novel feature or features believed to be characteristic of the invention are pointed out in the claims, the invention and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be further understood by reference to the description following and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. l is a front elevation perspective view of the point of sales apparatus of the .present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the point of sales apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the point of sales apparatus taken at lines 3--3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a detail of a hinge and support portion of a display rack of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of a display rack of the present invention.

Referring now to the iigures in greater detail, where like reference numbers denote like parts in the various figures.

The display rack 1 is usually adapted to serve as a composite point of sales button merchandising apparatus in conjunction with a merchandise cabinet 2.

The cabinet 2 is provided with drawers 3 which are usually provided .with sectionalized compartments 4 which loosely hold the displayed button merchandise and are identified by a system (not herein explained) entain buttons 17 are either popular or unpopular.

Patented May 3, 1S66 lCC abling the retailer or button seller to quickly find a de'- sired button selected and identified on the display rack 1.

The cabinet 2 is provided with a pair of cleats 5, both on the front of the cabinet 2 and' the back of the cabinet 2 so that the rack 1 can be aixed either to the front or rear cleats 5 depending on how the retailer finds it most convenient. A loop 6 is centrally located on the top of the cabinet to accept a support rod 7 which extends from the rack 1 and is engageable with the loop 6 whether the rack 1 is mounted in front of the cabinet 2 in front of the drawers 3 or in the rear.

The rack 1 comprises an upper portion 10 and a lower portion 11, each portion 10, 11 serving as a separate button display unit which is crossed with T-shaped parallel horizontal flanges 12 and an upper right angle flange 13 and a lower right angle ange 14 on each of the upper 10 and lower 11 portions.

be set.

The button display card 15 comprises a back `portion 16 which may be plastic or cardboard or almost any stiff, iiexible material upon which a button 17 is mounted. The vertical dimension of the display cards 15 back portion 15 must be substantially uniform or at least groups of display cards 15 must have a uniform vertical dimension adapted to fit between at least one of the selected tracks formed by the flanges 12, 13, 14. 1t is preferable that the tracks formed by the ilanges 12, 13, 14 be of uniform height so that only one height of display card 15 is required and any uniform height display card 15 can be placed in any of the flange formed tracks.

Usually only a single button 17 is displayed on a single display card 15. The cards are usually also marked with some form of identification mark according to a system (not described here in detail) which permits the easy location of the inventory of the selected button 17 in the compartment 4 in one of the drawers 3.

The importance of the display card 15 must be clearly understood in light of the physical equipment and merchandising method.

Usually the entire rack 1 is lled with display cards 15, generally arranged in sizes of similar button styles together and in an order that the retailer may think best for retail display purposes.

It has oftentimes been found during a season that cer- The unpopular buttons maybe simply removed by puliing or sliding the display card 15, for such button, from the track. The inventory compartment 4, if desired, may be emptied.

New buttons may be displayed by inserting new cards 15 either by sliding into the flange formed tracks or by bending or arcing the card back 16 to t into an open portion in the flange formed track. Usually some arrangement is made to provide buttons to the complementary inventory compartment 4.

In the event a particular model button 17 is out of stock,

the embarrassment of having customers ask for it is overcome easily by removing the card 15 corresponding to that particular button.

In the past, the multiple display cards on racks have made this impossible and either whole cards had to be remade, mutilated or allowed to Stand as an inaccurate display. Corrections under the former system were difficult or expensive.

Having button display cards horizontally displayed per- The ilanges 12, 13, 14 'formA parallel tracks into which button display cards 15 can cards 15,' confusing the merchandising system.

mits of easy change of any one or a group of buttons 17 without any major interference with the organization of the entire rack 1. The cards in the rack 1 can easily be shifted in the tracks to make room for new cards 15 or to take up the space of removed cards 15.

The horizontal width of the cards may vary since their height is all that is needed to adapt to the tracks for display.

A vertical display or tracks might encounter gravitational shifting upon the removal of a single card or greater diculty in shifting other cards to fill gaps, but it is not beyond the scope of the present combination in that such problems might be met'by the card size holding it firm in the track by its natural spring action and yet slidable.

A plastic shield 13 is transparent and one is provided p for each portion 10, 11 of the rack 1. The shield enables the display cards 15 to be seen yet prevents the natural tendency of customers or the curious from removing the The shields 18 are removable and are adapted tofit over each rack portion 1t), 11 and are enclosed by gates 19 on hinges 20 so that the gates 19 may be opened for the removal of the shields 18 as indicated in FIG. l for any desired reason such as the replacement of a card 15.

The upper portion 10 of the rack is generally xedly mounted to an angle bracket 25 which may extend the entire width of the upper portion to give back support or just be aixed to the ends'of the upper portion. See FIG. 4. The angle bracket has a forward portion Z6 to which hinges 27 are affixed and also attached to the lower portion 11. The forward portion 26 extends sufciently far forward that the lower portion 11 may be folded against the upper portion 10 in a neat package and held by the cover 28 which pivots about hinges 29.

While the rack as shown is in two portions, additional portions may be added or hinged to extend the display.

The rack may be attached to the merchandise cabinet as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 by hook 30 engagement of the cleats 5. The hooks 30 may thus, in conjunction with the support rod 7, hold the rack 1 on either side of the merchandise cabinet 2. When on the front, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower portion 11 may be lifted asshown in phantom to provide access to the drawers 3 when required. The lower portion 11 of the rack 1 is supported by a flat downsloping portion 31, of the angle bracket 25.

Independent of the merchandise cabinet 2 the rack 1 may be hung on a wall or elsewhere suspended as shown in FIG. 5 for the convenience of merchandising by holding means (not shown) on the back of the upper portion 10 of the display rack 1.

The terms and expressions which are employed are used as terms of description, it is recognized, though, that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described certain forms of the invention in some detail, what is claimed is:

1. A portable button merchandising display rack cornprising a body portion including a plurality of horizontal tracks, each said track comprising a pair of opposed anges extending from said body portions, each said ange having a lip portion, transparent shielding means extending across the length andvbreadth of said body portion and adapted to shield said tracks, hinged gates along the end of said tracks adapted to maintain said transparent shield in position, a plurality of button display cards; each said button display card having at least one dimension about equalto the width of said track, said display card being flexible and slideable within said track and adapted to be readily insertable or removeable within said track either by flexing said display card and inserting thev said card in a selected position within said track or sliding said display card along said track, each said display card containing one button.

2. A portable button merchandising display rack com- 4. prising a rst body portion including a plurality of horizontal tracks, each said track comprising a pair of opposed flanges extending from said ybody portion each said flange having a lip portion, closure means adapted to close the ends of said tracks, transparent shielding means extending across the length and breadth of said iirst body portion and adapted to shield said tracks, an

angulated support bracket connected to said rst body portion, said bracket having hinging means attached to the forward portion thereof, a second connected body portion of like construction as said iirst body portion connected to said support bracket adapted to be folded against said first body portion, means adapted to connect said rack to a merchandise cabinet and maintain said-first body portion vertically thereon and said second body portion in the front thereof, a plurality of button display cards, each said button display card having at least one dimension about equal to the width of said track, said display card being flexible and slideable within said track and adapted to be readily insertable or removeable within said track either by flexing said display card and inserting the said card in a selected position within said track'or sliding said display card along said track, each said display card containing one button.

3. VA portable button merchandising display rack comprising a first body portion including a plurality of horizontal tracks, each said track comprising a pair of opposed T-shaped parallel flanges extending from said body portion each said flange having a lip portion, transparent shielding means extending across the length and breadth of said first body portion and adapted to 'shield said tracks, hinged gates along the end of said tracks adapted 'to maintain said transparent shield in position, an L- shaped angulated support bracket connected to said first body portion, said bracket having hinging means attached to the forward portion thereof, a second connected body portion of like construction as said iirst body portion connected to said support bracket ladapted to be folded against said first body portion, means adapted to connect said rack to a merchandise cabinet and Amaintain said first body portion vertically thereon and said second body portion in th-e front thereof.

4. A portable button merchandising display rack comprising a first body Vportion including at least one lset of horizontal tracks, said tracks comprising a pair of opposed T-shaped parallel flangesextending from said body portion each said flange having a lip portion, transparent shielding means'extending across the length and breadth of ysaid first body portion and adapted to shield said tracks, hinged gates along the end of said tracks adapted to maintain said transparent shield in position, an L- shaped angulated support bracket connected to said iirst body portion, said bracket having hinging means attached to the `forward portion thereof, a second connected body portion of like construction as said irst'body portion connected to said support bracket adapted .to be folded against said iirst body portion, means adapted to connect said rack to a merchandise cabinet and maintain said first body portion vertically thereon and said second body portion in the front thereof, said vertical support means including a loop on said cabinet and a support rod on said rst body portion adapted to be engageable with said loop, a plurality of button display cards, each said button display card having at least one dimension about equal to the width of said track, said display card being flexible and slideable within said track and adapted to be readily insertable or removeable within said track either by flexing said display card and inserting the said card in a selected position within said track or sliding said display card along said track, each said display card containing one button.

(References on following page) References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Scales 206--.83 X Thompson 206-.83 Peddicord 190-16 Steinau 312--118 Swan 206-4511 Hirt 206-.83 Doering 206-44.11 vetter 206-44.11 10 Heppe 217-58 Sutclie 211-'57 Hollander 206-.83

6 Balmer 220--31 X Levy 206-.83 Michaelson 312--234 X Manzardo 312-234 X Hill 40--64 X FOREIGN PATENTS l 8/1937 Germany.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

E. HARRIS, Examiners.

A. FMNKEL, Assistant Examiner. 

4. A PORTABLE BUTTON MERCHANDISING DISPLAY RACK COMPRISING A FIRST BODY PORTION INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE SET OF HORIZONTAL TRACKS, SAID TRACKS COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED T-SHAPED PARALLEL FLANGES EXTENDING FROM SAID BODY PORTION EACH SAID FLANGE HAVING A LIP PORTION, TRANSPARENT SHIELDING MEANS EXTENDING ACROSS THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF SAID FIRST BODY PORTION AND ADAPTED TO SHIELD SAID TRACKS, HINGED GATES ALONG THE END OF SAID TRACKS ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN SAID TRANSPARENT SHIELD IN POSITION, AN LSHAPED ANGULATED SUPPORT BRACKET CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST BODY PORTION, SAID BRACKET HAVING HINGING MEANS ATTACHED TO THE FORWARD PORTION THEREOF, A SECOND CONNECTED BODY PORTION OF LIKE CONSTRUCTION AS SAID FIRST BODY PORTION CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORT BRACKET ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED AGAINST SAID FIRST BODY PORTION, MEANS ADAPTED TO CONNECT SAID RACK TO A MERCHANDISE CABINET AND MAINTAIN SAID FIRST BODY PORTION VERTICALLY THEREON AND SAID SECOND BODY PORTION IN THE FRONT THEREOF, SAID VERTICAL SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING A LOOP ON SAID CABINET AND A SUPPORT ROD ON SAID FIRST BODY PORTION ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGEABE WITH SAID LOOP, A PLURALITY OF BUTTON DISPLAY CARDS, EACH SAID BUTTON DISPLAY CARD HAVING AT LEAST ONE DIMENSION ABOUT EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF SAID TRACK, SAID DISPLAY CARD BEING FLEXIBLE AND SLIDEABLE WITHIN SAID TRACK AND ADAPTED TO BE READILY INSERTABLE OR REMOVEABLE WITHIN SAID TRACK EITHER BY FLEXING SAID DISPLAY CARD AND INSERTING THE SID CARD IN A SELECTED POSITION WITHIN SAID TRACK OR SLIDING SAID DISPLAY CARD ALONG SAID TRACK, EACH SAID DISPLAY CARD CONTAINING ONE BUTTON. 